Wired Differently

Brisbane’s Undercover Artist Festival – part of the wider Brisbane Festival – shows what an inclusive creative community looks like. The opening night audience for Wired Differently was packed with enthusiastic and vocal supporters. It was a great atmosphere as Brisbane’s inclusive performing arts school, Screech Arts, combined with physical theatre specialists, Zen Zen Zo to use the stage to tell the stories of eight performers who identify as neurodivergent or living with a disability. The group’s philosophy that the world can be anyone’s stage was on full display, reinforced by their articulated theme: We are all wired differently, so don’t worry about being different; worry about being the same as everyone else!

Directors Lynne Bradley (founding director of Zen Zen Zo) and Martina Smart (Screech Arts Coordinator) have created a non-stop 60-minute show that engages and challenges perceptions of what people living with a disability or neurodivergence can achieve. The performance also reinforces with humour how boring the world would be if we all thought and acted the same. The performers are Mags Doherty, Micheal Doust, Dale Gonelli, and Danielle Stewart from Screech Arts, and Bella Gregory, Wayne Jennings, Liam Linane, and Ebony Webb from Zen Zen Zo. The group work together to mix dance, physical movement and words to tell their stories about their ambitions, their passions, and what it feels like to be underestimated or challenged. One image for understanding neurodiversity that stays in my mind is Wayne’s piece about preparing for a job interview while trying to impress your crush while trying to ignore the music zipping through your brain! Bella uses the analogy of traffic lanes. Liam points out that his energy was always misinterpreted as mischief. Ebony reminds us that not all ‘disabilities’ are visible from the exterior. The group ask us to imagine the exhaustion of performing a role every day to try to fit in and be like everyone else. The team uses freeflowing and athletic movement to create an energised stage setting, with lighting design by Steven May, and on-stage music by Wayne Jennings.

Dale has been performing with Screech Arts for more than 15 years and so has a strong stage presence and he tells engaging dramatic stories. Another long-term Screech ensemble performer, Mags has a confidence on stage and a smile that lights up the theatre from the stage to the stalls. She was also the show’s co-choreographer with Gina Tay Limpus. Danielle’s story about observing and understanding the animals at the zoo reveals a deep thinker who wants to focus on her abilities not her disabilities. Micheal’s expressive dance routine was a hit with the crowd. This non-verbal performer also has a direct message: If you can’t handle his differences, then you can simply get lost – or stronger words to that effect. He also points out that he spells his name in an unusual way as a constant reminder to ‘heal’. The sum total of all these parts reminds us that thinking differently – being wired differently – is a blessing for the creative, and wider, community.

The performers’ use of technology to relay their thoughts shows how far digital aids have come and how important they are for helping people release their individual thoughts without the barrier of interpretation. And the welcome presence of an Auslan interpreter also signals progress, since these practitioners are now a regular part of stage performances. And they don’t just help audiences with hearing difficulties – they add an extra layer to the performance. Music is also important in conveying the non-verbal and Wayne’s melancholy cello was a great addition to the stage. I also loved their costumes of silver tshirts with appliqued red hearts showing the heart’s ‘wiring’ – production design was by Ebony Webb and Indiah Morris. A group dance to Snow Patrol’s anthemic ‘Chasing Cars’ at the end of the show invited us to just be with the performers and ‘forget the world’ – which aroused a standing ovation from the crowd and left everyone celebrating our different wiring.

Beth Keehn

Images: Jade Ellis Photography

Find out more: undercoverartistfest.com/events/wired-differently